ThePostcard Post Old Home Week is so happy to welcome back illustrator Brooke Boynton Hughes. Brooke has had lots of good news and exciting changes in her life since her interview on The Postcard Post a little over a year ago. I’ll let Brooke fill you in…

BABY LOVE, written by Angela DiTerlizzi and published by Beach Lane Books came out on April 15th. This is the first picture book that I illustrated and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to illustrate Angela’s lovely words.

I’ve started work on a second picture book with Beach Lane called BARK PARK that was written by Trudy Krisher and will come out in summer of 2017. I’m in the midst of working on character sketches and thumbnail layouts. BARK PARK is full of energy and will make a great read aloud, especially for dog lovers!

I recently finished the illustrations for a picture book with Random House called HENRY WANTS MORE! that was written by Linda Ashman and will come out in spring of 2016. Henry is an energetic toddler who wants more games, more stories, and more songs and completely wears his family out. Linda’s rhythmic story is full of love and exuberance and was a delight to illustrate.

SUMMER SHOWERS: book 2 in the CUPCAKE COUSINS series by Kate Hannigan, illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes

The second book in the CUPCAKE COUSINS series, SUMMER SHOWERS, came out on June 16th (published by Disney/Hyperion). Kate Hannigan has created such wonderful characters in this series. I can’t wait to find out what happens in book 3!

Brooke’s RV workspace.Camping at Key Largo.

My husband and I are spending this year traveling around the country in an RV. Learning how to work on the road has definitely been a bit of a challenge. But, I’m figuring things out and making adjustments little by little and we’ve been able to visit some wonderful places! We’re currently spending a few weeks at home in Colorado before heading up north to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier.

Brooke Boynton Hughes working on an illustration at Zion National Park. What a studio view!

Oh, and another thing…. Brooke has very generously offered not one, not two but THREE (gorgeous) books to GIVEAWAY! One lucky winner will receive BABY LOVE. Another winner will receive CUPCAKE COUSINS and SUMMER SHOWERS (books 1 and 2 of the series).

If you’d like to enter, please leave a comment below. And since this is a spectacular giveaway, I’m going to up the ante. In the spirit of Brooke’s RVing, tell us what adventure you’re planning– big or small– to fill up your creativity well. Two winners will be chosen randomly on July 1st.

*** The GIVEAWAY is closed. ***

We have 2 winners! Laurie J. Edwards has won BABY LOVE. Wendy Myers has won CUPCAKE COUSINS and SUMMER SHOWERS. Congratulations! Thanks to all for stopping by and leaving a comment.

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Much thanks goes to Brooke for pulling over during her RV adventure to share her new work and wonderful news. Old Home Week will be back as often as possible. In the meantime, check out the Postcard Post archive and be inspired!

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Whew! That’s an impressive list of projects to be proud of! I’m headed to a writing retreat in July, expecting writing and non-writing adventures to inspire me. And just hiking around the neighborhood. 🙂

Oh, wow, I would LOVE to travel around in an RV like that! What amazing inspiration! I’m headed to a writing retreat in July that I know will be a huge boost for me. And, while I love to explore new places, I’m also looking forward to our traditional family trip to Maine this summer – there’s something to be said for visiting old familiar places as a boost to creativity, too.

Lovely illustrations, Brooke! And how cool u can travel in an RV this year & work with grand nature scenery! To rev up my creativity, I’m heading back into teaching–will be teaching 1st grade. I hope to even more story ideas!

In the spirit of adventuring I have decided to follow in the globe-trotting footsteps of my real life heroine portrayed in my two children’s books. Twelve years ago I wrote my first picture book about Ima Hogg of Texas. Although born and raised in Texas she was a globe trotting Victorian lady with a most adventuresome nature. My first stop on her whirlwind tour of Europe were the Gardens of Versailles in France, where she admired the lovely design so much that she came home to Houston and copied a replica of her own calling it Bayou Bend. I actually was in the same garden exactly one hundred years after Ima Hogg strolled down the magnificent walkways. In May of this year I traveled to Germany where she studied music and enjoyed the symphony so much that she came back to Houston and created the Houston Symphony Orchestra in 1913. Hopefully, my next and most exciting trip will be to Egypt where Miss Ima is pictured on the back of a camel. I have already finished my first chapter book about her adventures with the Mollie Bailey circus and am mid way through her adventures in Hawaii, where she traveled with her father, the governor of Texas, to witness the annexation in 1898. My three trips to Hawaii have been filled with research surprises that I have included in my second chapter book about Ima and the Hawaiian Princess. I plan to travel to Egypt next, where Ima had an exciting adventure with a caravan. My inspiration comes from years of research into Ima and the Hogg family of Texas and I plan to write about her many adventures in every corner of the world.

So inspiring — both the list of books and traveling in the RV. I’ve been on the road the past 3 weeks, soaking up experiences — DC, NYC, PA, Chincoteague Island, Myrtle Beach, & NC — and this weekend I’m off to VA for 6 weeks, with lots of opportunities to fill my creative well because I’ll be at Hollins University MFA program in Children’s Writing & Illustrating.

Sounds like a fun trip! I envy all of your beautiful destinations in the next month or so. I’m kind of tied to the house this summer, but hope to be getting out for a hike this weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous illustrations!

Hi Brooke! Welcome back (temporarily) to Colorado! I would love to win one of your books. As for my adventures, I’ll be on a plane at this time in two weeks headed for my muse – Italy. Can’t help but be inspired there!

I really enjoy your illustrations Brooke. I bet all your watercolor drying times are different from region to region as you RV about. What an adventure! Maybe it could be a book. Let’s see, I’m taking my travel watercolor journal and paints with me as I visit relatives this summer.

Thanks so much for sharing your adventures Brooke! Everyday life has been such an adventure for me lately that I don’t have plans to go anywhere. Ha! I just need to remember to keep my notebook with me at all times. 🙂

Wow, I’m impressed to hear about your portable studio. My adventure coming up is a week of tooling around Virginia with my husband visiting small towns and scenic byways, while my kids are away at camp.

We’re planning daytrips to the Indian museum, the animal park, a historic home, and of course, the local vintage ice cream parlor. That should get the sketchbook filled! Congratulations on a great year, Brooke. Thanks for the giveaway! ‘Can’t wait to read about the Cupcake Cousins latest adventures.

Traveling is the greatest inspiration for writing! My next adventure will be to Volcanos National Park in Kinigi, Rwanda. I will be gorilla trekking in hopes of experiencing my very own Mighty Joe Young moment! The beautiful thing about this experience will be the fact that I am entering a whole new nation. These animals establish and follow laws just like we do. They invite people in to visit their world each and everyday.